The portability-oriented mobile apparatuses need to be light in weight and small in size, so that it is necessary to place a display screen and an input unit in a limited space. Further, in accordance with more and more sophisticated functions being provided, the size of the display screen is considered important in the mobile apparatuses. Accordingly, there has been a demand for an information input device with a small key space.
Related techniques for reducing the layout space for keys of an input unit on an apparatus are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 7. The related technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a technique which places a joystick for detecting tilt angles in the top and bottom as well as left and right directions on an apparatus and changes characters according to the tilt directions.
Further, the related technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a technique which discloses a detection unit for detecting operations of a user at a position different from that of a display unit. With this related technique, tactile input protrusions are disposed on a back face side that is on the opposite side from a display screen side of a mobile terminal, and codes are inputted by pressing those.
The related technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 is a technique which separately and individually disposes an input unit and an apparatus. With this related technique, information is inputted by having an input unit loaded to the body of a user. Similarly, Patent Document 4 discloses an input device loaded on a hand of a user.
The related technique disclosed in Patent Document 5 is a technique which provides photosensors by corresponding to five fingers of one hand, and character data is inputted to an apparatus according to a detected pattern of the photosensors. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 6 is a technique which executes communication processing according to vibrations added to a main body of a mobile apparatus. Further, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 7 is a technique which judges an area to which the thumb of a user touches or approaches based on a signal from a detection unit loaded on a user, and generates an information signal according to the judgment result.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2005-258734
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3708508
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication 2004-537802
Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 7-121294
Patent Document 5: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 2-113317
Patent Document 6: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2002-190857
Patent Document 7: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2007-128304